The Most Outrageous Mistakes Made at Job Interviews
By: The job market may be showing signs of lifebut competition remains fierce, so if you’re headed to an interview, don’t blow it.
"The goal of any interview is to stand out from the other candidates and ultimately land the job, but make sure you stand out for the right reasons!” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder.
CareerBuilder recently polled a couple thousand hiring managers and found out that one of the most common mistakes candidates made at job interviews was answering a cell-phone call or text during an interview. Seven out of 10 hiring managers said they’d had a candidate do that during an interview.
They also cited dressing inappropriately, appearing disinterested, appearing arrogant and chewing gum among the most common mistakes.
That list alone should have you outraged on behalf of American job seekers everywhere, but it gets worse! Here are some of the most outrageous things hiring managers said they’ve seen candidates do during a job interview:
- Provide a detailed listing of how previous employer made them mad.
- Hug the hiring manager at the end of the interview.
- Eat all the candy from the candy bowl while trying to answer questions.
- Bad-mouth spouse throughout the interview.
- Blow her nose and line up used tissues on the table in front of her.
- Bring a copy of a college diploma, with white out over the name and candidates name written on top.
- Wear a hat that said "take this job and shove it."
- Talk about how an affair cost him a previous job.
- Throw his beer can in the outside trashcan before coming into the reception office.
- Have a friend come in and ask "HOW MUCH LONGER?"
OK, so we’re going to skip the usual jargon of job tips and get back to the basics:
Listen to your mother and spit out that gum before the interview. Blow your nose before you get there. And while we’re at it, make sure you go to the bathroom before you leave the house.
Turn that phone off before I turn it off for you.
No badmouthing of anyone. No candy eating. No cute T-shirts or hats. Actually, no T-shirts or hats of any kind. No white out. No friends allowed to come with you.
And for the love of jobs, no hugging!
More on Jobs:
- The Best Jobs in America
- The Worst Jobs in America
- 20 Ways to Manage Your Boss
- 10 Questions to Ask at Your Performance Review
- How to Respond to a Bad Review
- 11 Signs the Job Market Is Improving in 2011
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